Help Please: 2 weeks in Scotland in May
Dec 25th, 2017, 10:59 AM
#1
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Help Please: 2 weeks in Scotland in May
Hello,
We will be flying in to Heathrow on May 2nd and plan to head straight up to Scotland. We will fly home from Heathrow on May 17th. We are in our mid sixties, active and physically fit.
We have been to Edinburgh before, albeit a number of years ago, and don't plan to spend much time there, maybe one full day. We are not very interested in Whiskey or distilleries and not that interested in spending much time in other cities. We are much more interested in wildlife, birding, scenic natural areas, moderate to easy hiking, local crafts including weaving, neolithic sites and castles & fortresses. We have both read all the Peter May books and I have read all of Ann Cleeves' Shetland mysteries.
We normally are independent travelers, however we are contemplating doing one of the longer Rabbies tour so that my husband can actually look at the scenery rather than the road. We have been thinking of either:
- the 10 day Orkney and Outer Hebrides Tour
or
- the 9 day Iona, Mull, Skye and Orkney Tour
Any thoughts, comments, experiences and/or counter-suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
We will be flying in to Heathrow on May 2nd and plan to head straight up to Scotland. We will fly home from Heathrow on May 17th. We are in our mid sixties, active and physically fit.
We have been to Edinburgh before, albeit a number of years ago, and don't plan to spend much time there, maybe one full day. We are not very interested in Whiskey or distilleries and not that interested in spending much time in other cities. We are much more interested in wildlife, birding, scenic natural areas, moderate to easy hiking, local crafts including weaving, neolithic sites and castles & fortresses. We have both read all the Peter May books and I have read all of Ann Cleeves' Shetland mysteries.
We normally are independent travelers, however we are contemplating doing one of the longer Rabbies tour so that my husband can actually look at the scenery rather than the road. We have been thinking of either:
- the 10 day Orkney and Outer Hebrides Tour
or
- the 9 day Iona, Mull, Skye and Orkney Tour
Any thoughts, comments, experiences and/or counter-suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Dec 25th, 2017, 11:26 AM
#2
If your husband doesn't want to drive -- then Rabbies is a GREAT alternative.
Either of those tours would tick just about all of your boxes. I'd lean ever so slightly to the 9 day tour. But that is mainly because I adore Mull. But getting out to the Outer Hebridies would also be a draw.
Any ideas what you want to do with the other 4 or 5 days? Since both of them are to the north/west -- I'd consider picking up a car when you return to Edinburgh and heading up the east coast. Fife/Aberdeenshire. seeing Isle of May, Dunnottar, stone circles/standing stones, the Castle trail.
Either of those tours would tick just about all of your boxes. I'd lean ever so slightly to the 9 day tour. But that is mainly because I adore Mull. But getting out to the Outer Hebridies would also be a draw.
Any ideas what you want to do with the other 4 or 5 days? Since both of them are to the north/west -- I'd consider picking up a car when you return to Edinburgh and heading up the east coast. Fife/Aberdeenshire. seeing Isle of May, Dunnottar, stone circles/standing stones, the Castle trail.
Dec 25th, 2017, 11:09 PM
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Both sound wonderful and either would tick all the boxes.
Having been to both Lewis & Harris as well as Mull & Iona I would be hard pressed to choose between them. As both itineraries are so similar, the the manin choice probably depends on whether Iona with its abbey
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...bey/index.html
wins above the standing stones at Callanish (Calanais) on Lewis...http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/presoc...ais/index.html
Close to, they are much more impressive than the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/presoc...gar/index.html
Having been to both Lewis & Harris as well as Mull & Iona I would be hard pressed to choose between them. As both itineraries are so similar, the the manin choice probably depends on whether Iona with its abbey
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...bey/index.html
wins above the standing stones at Callanish (Calanais) on Lewis...http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/presoc...ais/index.html
Close to, they are much more impressive than the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/presoc...gar/index.html
Dec 25th, 2017, 11:39 PM
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You will not find a more varied wildlife environment in Europe than that on Mull.
It hasn't the wolves and bears of Eastern Poland but makes up for this with local seas which are full of marine mammals.
Most of Mull has single track roads with passing places and so driving very slowly is the norm which makes it very easy for the driver to take in the scenery.
I'd book a cottage here for a week. You need to decide your itinerary quickly as much of the accommodation in the Highlands is aaslready booked for next summer.
It hasn't the wolves and bears of Eastern Poland but makes up for this with local seas which are full of marine mammals.
Most of Mull has single track roads with passing places and so driving very slowly is the norm which makes it very easy for the driver to take in the scenery.
I'd book a cottage here for a week. You need to decide your itinerary quickly as much of the accommodation in the Highlands is aaslready booked for next summer.
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